To all,
My cp is damned big. (damned heavy too). Only has 2 joysticks and 8 buttons a side but it is elbow room that counts

(oh - haven't finished it yet...)
Anyways, to get to the point, these kind of posts I think are good. Not because they are funny, but more so because they point out to people that it is
not neccessary to have your panel configured for every game ever made.
The fact is, that if you build (or attempt) to build a CP capable of playing so many diverse games, it will not only be awkward, but cramped and ugly as well. Not to mention a nightmare for any friends who come over to play!!! The best option, as many people on this board agree, is to have multiple or interchangable panels. You only need 1 IPAC if done caferfully anyway.
The main cost in a panel is the buttons and joysticks - the building materials are generally quite cheap by comparrison. That is if you just finish your board with contact or laminate.
I would much rather have 3 panels finished in laminate or contact than have one 'uber-panel' finished with artwork and plexi, but with a million buttons on it! And, in the end, it really wont cost that much more.
This hobby (obsession?) is all about personal choice. If you like playing with the stick on the right then play with the stick on the right. (Even if that does make you spawn of the devil...) If you want a hundred buttons so that you can play mahjong, then do it. Not every bit of advice on this forum is meant for everyone. I would argue that a lot of people posting here on this thread dreamt of a super-panel that would do everything. Many probably even attempted it. The point is that they have learned that it is not the best way
for them.
After all, most questions on this board largely call out to more experienced people to ask how they have gone about things. Most questions are not right/wrong but depend on opinion yet people still want these opinions. The 'you don't need a huge 1,000,000 button panel' opinion is just one and this post, unless I am mistaken will make at least a few so called 'newbies' realise that no, they don't
really need all those buttons on one panel.
Of course, those that do want a do-everything panel should go ahead and try. One of the reasons such a panel is considered undesireable is that there has been (at least that I know of) no designs that both look good and are functional like this. I, and I am sure that everyone in this forum and especially this post will watch eagerly anyone who undertakes a 'do-it-all' project. And
not because they want to say "I told you so!", but rather because a lot of this hobby was developed through experimentation - sometimes costly and anyone who can come up with a workable soultion will be celebrated much the may Lusid is.
gb